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Live Clean (Baby): An Affordable All-Natural Baby Care Line Exclusive to Walgreens

January 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

My girls have personal care products that are all-natural, and whenever possible, organic. I try to do the same for myself, but I do have to make a choice sometimes due to budget restraints, and will always opt to get these types of products for my little ones even if I can’t also get them for myself. It stinks having to make that choice, but that’s the reality when it comes to expensive products.

So when I heard that Walgreens, a store I shop at every week, was the exclusive U.S. retailer of a very affordable brand of eco-friendly personal care products, I wanted to hear more! Live Clean (Baby) is a Canadian brand that has just hit the U.S. market thanks to its partnership with Walgreens. Live Clean (Baby) contains non-irritating, very gentle plant-based ingredients. It is free of parabens, Sodium Laurel Sulfates (SLS), animal-based products and phosphates.

Basically, the ingredients of Live Clean (Baby) sound very similar to other products I purchase, but the big difference is the price tag. The suggested price of each product in the line is just $7.99. That’s music to my ears and my wallet! I also like that I don’t have to make this purchase online (which was the only way I could find some of the products I had been purchasing). I can just go to my nearest Walgreens to get whatever I may need!

The entire line of Live Clean (Baby) products includes the following:

Tearless Shampoo and Wash
Moisturizing Baby Bath
Moisturizing Baby Lotion
Non-Petroleum Jelly
Diaper Ointment
Moisturizing Bar Soap

After having used these products, I can tell you that I am very pleased with them. They are gentle and effective. I love the packaging, I love the very mild scent, and I definitely love the price point and the convenience. I will be purchasing these products again as I run out and I would suggest them as great baby shower gifts for new parents, as well.

What about you? Are you spending an arm and a leg to provide all-natural personal care products for your little ones? Have you noticed this line at Walgreens, yet?

I received product samples for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

My Triumphant Return to Walgreens: Who Needs Coupons with Deals Like This?!

September 18, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I used to rock out with coupons every week. I vividly remember stocking up on diapers for Darah when I was pregnant (this was before I knew about cloth!). I amassed 6 months’ of diapers for her, and paid, on average, about 25% of the retail cost per package. It was pretty awesome.

I stopped couponing for about a year after Darah was born just due to a lack of time. Once I got her into a parents’ day out program and once we found our new rhythm in Chattanooga, I got back into couponing. And once again, I got wonderful deals, largely at drugstores like Walgreens. I routinely saved between 50-75% on stuff I needed, as well as stuff I could save for later.

But as soon as morning sickness with baby#2 set in, I was off the couponing wagon. And I have yet to get back on. I’m just short on time, folks! I’m sure you can relate.

But here’s the weird thing: I’ve noticed that because I don’t use coupons anymore, I feel as though I shouldn’t even visit my favorite drugstores. It’s like I have this mentality that if I don’t know how to maximize the deals for the week and get all those Register Rewards then there’s no point in even trying. So I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been in Walgreens in the past year. And I used to go every single week! I think in some weird way I felt as though I would be a failure if I shopped without all those coupons.

But just this past week, Walgreens unveiled a new program that is SUCH a good thing for people just like me: the ones who love to save money but who also need to save time. They now have the Balance Rewards program, and Layah and I ventured into the store I used to frequent to get signed up and see what all the buzz is about. You can see my full shopping experience (including two diaper changes BEFORE we got out of the house! Sheesh!) in my Google+ story here.

Here are some highlights:

This is my (little) big helper, Layah. I successfully got her in the car, finally! She’s ready for our adventure.

I signed up for Balance Rewards at the front register. The salesperson was very helpful and had me all set up in 3 minutes!

I was THRILLED to see that Walgreens sells milk at a competitive price. This is actually cheaper than what I pay at the grocery store. I’ll be back for milk next week, and the week after, and the week after…

JACKPOT!!!! Walgreens had all their summer toys marked down by 75%, and the selection was great! May I suggest that you make a stop at your nearest Walgreens today to see if you have the same good luck I had? 🙂 I bought several cool gifts for our gift closet (those birthday party invites keep rolling in!).

I learned all about some of the great features of the rewards program, such as the fact that if you can build up your points a little bit more, your payout rate improves ($50 for 40,000 vs. $5 for 5,000 points). And please check out the pharmacy chat option that Walgreens offers its customers!

When looking through the sale flyer, I was really impressed with some of the point earning opportunities. By spending on Zyrtec and/or Children’s Benadryl (which you’ll likely need at some point this fall!) you get 10,000 points, which is basically like getting $10 back!

While I have a dinosaur model of the iPhone, those of you who are slightly more up-to-date will most definitely want to download the free mobile app. You can keep track of your points balance on your phone, shop online (oh heck yes! Free shipping with orders over $25 and under 10 lbs!), and even ask a Walgreen pharmacy professional a question. Gotta love a store that takes the convenience factor to a whole new level.

Walgreens is definitely on the cutting edge of offering a variety of ways for its customers to save time AND money. I’m so very glad I got over my fear and stepped back into the store. What I found waiting for me were great deals galore!

You can keep up with all the latest and greatest Walgreens happening by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Express Scripts Member? What’s Happening with Walgreens and Your Program

January 17, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are a member of the Express Scripts program through your health insurance and you like to fill your prescriptions at Walgreens, there’s some important information that you need to know.

It seems that Walgreens and Express Scripts have failed to reach a contract agreement with each other, and as a result, Walgreens will no longer be part of the pharmacy provider network for Express Scripts as of January 1, 2012.

What happened? Well, you can get full details about it by checking out the Walgreens and Express Script press release, but basically, Express Scripts wanted full control over contract terms and to reduce the reimbursement rate for Walgreens to below the industry standard. Walgreens was not seeking an increase in rates.

Who loses? The customers, of course! Express Scripts has stated that their members are not going to experience any cost savings by having Walgreens off the list of providers, so even they are acknowledging a lack of benefit to customers. For people who traditionally went to Walgreens for their prescriptions through this plan, they will have to find a new pharmacy, develop a new relationship with a pharmacist, and potentially encounter higher prices, as Walgreens kept their prices very competitive.

While Walgreens is unable to reach an agreement with Express Scripts, they have made an effort to ease the burden to customers who will be affected by offering a special discount for the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. A family (adult, spouse and any children under 22) can join for just $10/year, and gain access to discount pricing on more than 8,000 brand name and generic prescriptions. Individuals are able to join for just $5/year. In additions to receiving discounts on prescriptions, members will receive discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies. You are also eligible for bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.

Walgreens wants to help your family not be as negatively impacted by the failed negotiations between the two corporations. If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings with Walgreens, be sure to follow Walgreens on Twitter as well as Walgreens on Facebook